


The Jedi have 99+ problems but the Clone Wars isn't one.

by Young_Professer



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Anakin Skywalker Leaves the Jedi Order, F/M, Massive AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Suggestions needed, give me ideas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-05-30 23:27:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 20,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19413646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Young_Professer/pseuds/Young_Professer
Summary: *BREAKING NEWS* JEDI REFUSE TO AID THE REPUBLIC IN FIGHT AGAINST THE SEPARATISTS!





	1. Chapter 1

*BREAKING NEWS* THE JEDI REFUSE TO AID THE REPUBLIC IN FIGHT AGAINST THE SEPARATISTS!

There was an uproar in the Senate. The Jedi had always been their fighters! Thier first line of defense! They had no right to simply refuse to help the Republic!

Jedi Master Plo Koon calmly informed them that it was, Masters Yoda and Mace Windu standing firmly next to him. The senators continued to rage, threatening to cut funding, refuse them services, and several other things that were surely not in their own power to do. But the Jedi would not budge, and left the Senate building hours later seemingly as calm and collected as they had arrived.

Despite the resentment of the Republic, most of the Jedi breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that they would not be affiliated with the newly formed Grand Army of the Republic. They would continue to be keepers of the peace, not soldiers, as they had sworn. There were exceptions of course, some Jedi stating their displeasure with the council on deciding not to help the Republic. Chief among them were Mace Windu (known only to the council and his close friends) and Anakin Skywalker (known by everyone who could hear within his shouting range.)

It was perhaps the only thing the two men would ever agree on, although they handled their frustration in extremely different ways. SKywalker left the Jedi order only a few days after the news was announced, leaving a devastated Obi-Wan Kenobi behind him. Not a week later Anakin was formally High General Skywalker of the Galactic Republic and, (rumor had it,) suspected lover of Senator Padme Amidala.

Windu, however, maintained a cold silence for about a day. It took the combined efforts of Yoda and the grandmaster's gimmer stick to get Mace over himself and his wounded pride, but the man soon moved on to more pressing matters.

There was, after all, a Sith to deal with.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A council meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't expect all updates to be this fast. It's just a new story and I'm on a roll with ideas right now.

The Republic did indeed cut funding and almost all support to the Jedi Order and its Corps. There was a mad scramble of what to do and who to go to for the first few days, but soon Jedi began calling up favors from all over the Galaxy. Most of the larger governments associated with the Republic (or Separatists) turned them down, but many more obscure tribes and moons gladly gave something or another to help the Jedi who had helped them. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it was what they had. 

"And astonishingly enough, combining these resources with those from the Corps, we are not going to immediately run out of money or supplies." Master Oppo Rancis stated from his chair, looking around at the other Jedi in the council chamber. 

"And you are sure that the most recent repairs of the Temple are paid off?" Master Billaba asked. 

"The insurance company has no legal right to charge us because we lost the Republic Affiliation Advantage after the fee had been waived." Rancis confirmed. 

"So as long as there are no more speeders crashing into the foundation of the Temple, we are stable." Master Piell huffed.

"Pun intended, I hope." Billaba muttered, and the rest of the council chuckled before Master Windu spoke. 

"The biggest loss for now is the intel. We have no idea where the Separatists, specifically Dooku, are or will be." 

"On the lookout, all shadows are." Master Yoda said. 

"But they are not on the front lines, so any information they get will have some sort of delay." Plo Koon rumbled. "And even in the force, we can not find him."

The councilors simultaneously frowned at the mention of the force. 

"The dark that has begun to cover our vision is… disturbing." Master Windu voiced all of their thoughts. "But we must remember Masters, the light of the force is strong and with us."

Heads nodded around the room, and the subject was dropped. 

"You mentioned Shadows, Master Yoda." Master Sasee Tinn began slowly. "Perhaps we should send some directly to the Separatists. Surely Dooku would not pass up the opportunity to capture another Jedi or two."

This proposal was met with immediate resistance. 

"We will not use our own as bait." Shaak Ti stated firmly. "You forget we are speaking of a Sith."

"A Jedi turned Sith." Tinn retorted. 

"But a Sith nonetheless." 

"I agree with Sasee." Master Windu said. "Dooku may have turned dark, but he was raised a Jedi. He could not so easily forget his past and training." 

"No matter his mental state, to send one of our own willingly into his clutches should not be our first option." Mundi offered his first contribution to the conversation.

"Yes. A different method we will find." Yoda spoke up, ending the debate. "Master Rancis, work on this you will?"

Rancis nodded, and there was a moment of quiet as the room relaxed.

"One more thing before we close." Master Windu leaned forward in his chair, his elbows on his knees. "I propose that we consider Obi Wan Kenobi for Mastery and a seat on the council."

The rest of the council barring Master Yoda blinked. 

"But he has not met the standard criteria." Eeth Koth said. 

"It would not be the first time.' Mace retorted. "Myself and Master Billaba both had not trained a Padawan before becoming Masters."

"And he trained Anakin Skywalker immediately after becoming a knight himself." Master Koon offered from his seat. "And that is a feat few of us could have accomplished."

There was a murmur of agreement throughout the chamber. 

"Skywalker's training was not complete." Shaak Ti reminded the council. "Although through no fault of Kenobi's"

"There is nothing that says we must decide today." Master Windu spoke again. "I ask you all to meditate on this. We will meet again tomorrow."

He looked around the room, waiting to see if anyone else wanted to speak. He was met with calm silence. "Then the council session is over. May the force be with us."

"May the force be with us." The Masters echoed, and thus ended the council meeting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin and Padme talk for a little bit.

Padme Amidala was not usually one to act out of desperation, so it was a rare incident that she called her husband at three o'clock in the morning on Coruscant. She had already tried four times in the last forty eight hours, to no avail. Now she waited with eager anticipation as it rang once, twice, three times…

The slight smile she had on her face faded. He was busy, as he had been the other times she had tried to call him that day (or yesterday, it was technically tomorrow already) and the day before.

 _Of course he's busy, Padme, he's a high general on active duty. Just because he said he had enough time to record a message this morning doesn't mean he has enough time to pick up a call right now_.

Rationalizing the fact didn't keep her from feeling the unfairness of it all. She had barely been able to spend a day with her husband after he moved into her apartment before Chancellor Palpatine gave him a title and thrust him straight to the war front. That had been three weeks ago. He hadn't been home in three weeks. She almost wished he was still a Jedi.

Almost, but she was glad he chose to defend the republic. She was, like Anakin and along with the rest of the Senate, angry at the Jedi council. It was easier to agree with her husband now about how they were "a bunch of arrogant bantha fodder."

The sound of her comm ringing interrupted her thoughts, and Padme pounced on it.

"Anakin!"

"Hey, beautiful." General Skywalker looked as exhausted as he sounded, but his smile still made her heart skip a beat. "Sorry I missed your calls, things have been pretty hectic."

"I'm sure." The senator agreed gently. "How are things going?"

Anakin groaned, running a hand over his face to tug his hair. "They're… going. The separatists are more established than we previously thought, we can barely keep up. We need more leaders."

Padme frowned. "We're working on trying to get some worlds to lend their military leaders.  
Hopefully you'll have some more trained generals by the end of the week."

"We needed them last week." Her husband sighed.

"If only the Jedi had been co-operative, you would have had them."

"Well they weren't." Anakin snapped, then sighed again at Padme's sharp look. "I'm sorry, I'm just stressed."

"Of course you are." Padme said soothingly, leaning forward. "Hopefully you'll be able to come home soon."

"I hope so." His eyes searched her face like a thirsty man looking for water. "I miss you so much, Padme."

Her heart ached. "I miss you too, Ani. And I love you so much."

He smirked, some of the fire returning to his voice. "I love you more."

"I don't think so." Padme retorted, and they giggled like children for a moment. Then Anakin glanced off at something she couldn't see.

"I have to go now. I'll see if I can swing by Coruscant for a day or two soon."

Only a day or two? Padme thought, but aloud she just said. "Alright, my handsome husband, be safe."

"I will, beautiful wife." He blew a kiss at the holo. "Bye."

"I love you."

The call ended, leaving Senator Amidala alone to think about how much she loved her husband, wish he was here with her, and offer up a prayer for his safety.

She couldn't dwell on it though, as she should probably try and get some sleep. But even as she got into bed alone she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself.

Hopefully she would see him soon, though. And if he couldn't get time off, she would march down to the Chancellor's office and get some for him herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there will be plot next chapter, but we all just need some Anakin and Padme fluff sometimes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get to check up on Anakin and get the beginnings of some plot.

Former Jedi and current high General of the Republic Anakin Skywalker shut off the hologram call with his wife and barley kept from glaring at his clone Commander, who was waiting in the doorway of his office for him to finish his call. 

"What is it?" 

"General, I have the plans and specs of your Starfighter, as you requested." 

"Thank you, Commander Tilt." Anakin took the datapad from the clones hand and scanned over its contents, muttering to himself. "This isn't bad. Although it lacks a lot of the sensory equipment on normal starfighters."

"Is that going to be a problem, sir?"

Anakin looked at the clone, as if he had forgotten he was still there. "Not for me, but for the other squad leaders it might be."

"They have different ships, sir." Tilt explained. 

"Different ships?"

"Yes, sir."

"Why?" Anakin was genuinely confused. He had expected to have to modify a ship to work with his Jedi senses, not to have one specially made that way. 

"We expected our generals to be Jedi, sir. So they have different ships than those designed for clone pilots." Tilt said this mechanically, as if it was old news to him. 

Expected Jedi generals? Anakin thought. Why in the hells would they do that?  
"You expected to serve under Jedi?" He asked slowly. 

"Yes, sir. We were commissioned by a Jedi Master after all." 

"By a Jedi Master?" Anakin parroted, his brain spinning with all the implications of that statement. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, sir." Now Tilt sounded confused. "Were you not aware of this?"

"No I wasn't." Anakin could feel the creases of a frown beginning to form on his forehead "And you're absolutely sure it was a Jedi Master?" He asked again. 

"Yes sir." The clone responded. "It was common knowledge on Kamino that we were requested to be made by a Jedi."

"I never heard about this." The young general stared at the wall of his office for a moment before turning back to Commander Tilt.

"The Jedi wouldn't make an army unless they knew war was coming, and then they would try to stop it. Why would they…?" He trailed off. 

Anakin didn't want to think that the Jedi might know more than they let on about the war, but the fact that a Jedi Master ordered the clones to be made made him suspicious. Especially since the Jedi refused to aid the republic in the war itself.

"Meet me in the communication center in fifteen minutes." He ordered Tilt. "We're going to talk to the Chancellor."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Palpatine.

Sheev Palpatine, Lord of the Sith and Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, was very, very pleased. His scheme had not gone as he had planned but instead had ended up so much better than anything he had ever dreamed of. The galaxy was at war, and as long as Tyranus could keep his cronies in line it would drag on for as long as he wanted it to. The opinion of the few people who still cared about the Jedi was turning against them. And best of all, Skywalker was clay in his hands.

Without the Jedi, Anakin had no support system, nothing to force him down the "path of the light." Or to tell him to "control his emotions." He was a wild anomaly of power just waiting to be exploited. With the loss of his mother fresh in his mind, the only semblance of family Anakin had was his precious senator, and to keep them apart was child's play.

All he had to do now was to send Skywalker farther and farther into the darkness of the war, showing him there was no end to the suffering of innocents. The boy would become more and more desperate, then the Chancellor would show him that the only way he could win the war was if he became the most powerful being in the Galaxy. Anakin would see the truth in his words and become the Sith Lord he was always meant to be, second only to his master. 

Of course, the Jedi were still here at the moment, but it was only a matter of time before the search for Tyranus would draw them farther and farther away from Coruscant. Then the Sith would show up right at their doorstep, and they would be destroyed.

The Chancellor laughed aloud. Yes, it was all going so well. Soon he would have Skywalker on his side, the Jedi would be eradicated, and then the entire Galaxy would see the true power of the Dark. The Universe would be his.

His moment of imagining the glorious future was short lived, however, because the comm on his desk chimed. Palpatine scowled at it. It was early in the morning on Coruscant, who would have the audacity to call him as such an hour? He glanced at the screen. It was Skywalker, speak of the devil.   
The Chancellor answered the call immediately, coming face to face with a very upset looking Anakin Skywalker and a clone standing at attention behind him.   
"General Skywalker!" he greeted, smiling just enough that it was visible through the hologram. "You bring good news I hope."

"Unfortunately not, Chancellor." Anakin sounded as perturbed as he looked. "Something has been brought to my attention that I think you should know about."

Palpatine already knew what the boy was going to bring up, he had forseen it days ago, but he still put on a slightly concerned expression for show and sat down at his desk. 

"Then by all means tell me. It is nothing too serious I hope."

The general motioned to the soldier at his side. "I was speaking with Commander Tilt, and he mentioned that he, along with the rest of the clones, were "made to serve the Jedi." When I asked him what he meant, he told me that they had been told up to the start of the war that the Jedi would be their generals."

"Really?" Palpatine prompted "That is rather presumptuous of the Kaminoians to simply assume the Jedi would be leading them."

"That's just the thing, Chancellor. Tilt told me something about a Jedi Master commissioning the clones to be made." Skywalker gestured again to the Commander, who saluted. 

"Commander CX-5028, Sir."

"At ease, Commander. Now what do you know about this… Jedi involvement?" This time Palpatine was genuinely curious. Dooku had covertly overseen the production of the clones, so the sith master himself had no idea how much the soldiers really knew. 

"I know that there was a Jedi Master who commissioned the making of us clones over ten years ago, and that we were educated about the Jedi under the impression that we would be serving under them, Sir."

"Do you know the name of this Jedi Master?"

"No, Sir."

There was a moment of silence as Palpatine pretended to think, and Skywalker's eyes flickered uncomfortably from the Commander to the Chancellor. 

"Well then, General Skywalker." Palpatine said after he felt it had been long enough. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will be sure to look into this as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Chancellor." The boy looked like he wanted to say more, but stopped himself. Did Palpatine really have to prompt everything himself? 

"You still look troubled, Anakin." He said, purposefully using his name instead of his rank. 

"I- This situation makes me wonder… how much the Jedi really know about the war." 

The doubt in his mind was growing, good.

"Indeed." The sith toned his voice to sound thoughtful. "Are you suspecting some foul play, Anakin?"

"No! Well, maybe." Anakin shifted uncomfortably. "I was just speculating, that's all."

Palpatine hummed. "I can assure you, Anakin, I will get to the bottom of this. And when I do, the Senate will hear of it."

"Thank you." A light came on in the boy's eyes. Oh no, he was thinking of his Senator again. "Speaking of the Senate, is it possible that-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, my boy, but I really must be going. It is early in the morning here on Coruscant and there is much work to be done."

His face fell. "Oh. My apologies, Chancellor."

"No need for them, General." Palpatine soothed. "Bringing this matter to me was the right thing to do."

"Uh," Anakin didn't seem to know just how to respond to that. "It was my pleasure, Chancellor. General Skywalker, out."

The hologram ended, and the sith looked comfortably out the window of his office. Everything was going as he had forseen. Now, he had five hours until the next Senate meeting. That was more than enough time to send a call to the Kaminoians. The Senate would hear about the Jedi's "deception." And they would hear it in such a way that they would never dare to trust the fools ever again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well would you look at that, more plot development through dialogue. It's the Council... Again.

While Chancellor Palpatine was scheming the Senate into disarray, the Jedi High Council was beginning yet another meeting. The councilors had taken their respective seats but not yet spoken, and instead were looking expectantly at Masters Yoda and Windu. The two stared back, the Master of the Order seriously and the grandmaster with light amusement.

"Sensed it, you did?" Yoda phrased it as more of a statement than a question 

"Indeed." Master Mundi responded carefully.  "Although considering the urgency of the event, why did you not tell us yesterday?"

"We wanted to see if any of you had sensed it without prompting." Mace said. "I did not, but when I focused on it it became clear at once. I take it you all had the same experience?" 

The councilors nodded. When they had meditated on the proposal that Knight Kenobi become a Master of the Council the force had shouted to do it soon, to do it  _ now _ . Obi-wan would soon become very important to not only the Jedi but the future of the galaxy as a whole.

"Become a Councilor, Obi-wan will." Master Yoda said. "Waiting outside he is."

The Jedi turned surprised looks to their grandmaster. 

"Master Yoda, the council has not yet held a vote." Windu began. 

"Vote to ignore the will of the force, will you?" Yoda stared at the other members of the Council, watching them realize that no, they would not. 

"Still, the Call to Mastery takes days to prepare." Master Mundi argued. "And we are not in such a place of desperation where we should ignore our traditions."

"Say that he would become a Master did I?" The grandmaster seemed strangely agitated. "A Councilor he shall become today. Yes."

The chamber went silent, looking from Master Yoda to Master Windu. 

"To give a knight a seat on the Council has never been done before." The human master said. "But it is allowed given the entire Council agrees."

There was another moment of quiet as the Masters thought, then Master Billaba was the first to send out a quiet pulse of agreement in the force. She was echoed by Master Koon, and every Councilor slowly but methodically gave their consent in the force.

The doors to the chamber opened, and into the room walked Obi wan Kenobi, looking like the model of a composed Jedi Knight. 

"Masters." He said, bowing to the council at large.

"Knight Kenobi." Mace Windu took the lead. "Do you have any idea why we called you here today?"

If Kenobi was nervous, he didn't show it. "No, Master Windu."

"We have unanimously voted to offer you a temporary seat on this Council." There was a tinge of unease in the Master of the Order's voice. He did not like things moving in such a quick, unorthodox manner. 

The man in the center of the chamber blinked once, twice, before finding his voice. "On the high council?"

"Yes. Beginning immediately, providing you accept."

Poor Kenobi looked like the thought he was dreaming. "I am still a knight, and my Padawan… left." He said, looking around at the other Jedi for some sort of confirmation. 

"Since you have not fully trained an apprentice, you have also been approved for evaluation for the Call to Mastery." Mace stared expectantly at the man. "Also given that you accept."

Obi wan looked completely lost for a second before pulling himself back together. "I accept both proposals." He said, bowing low. "And I thank you for the opportunities."

The council rose as one and, beginning with Master Yoda, stepped forward to welcome their newest member.

Master Windu approached the grandmaster while the other Masters were still speaking with Kenobi. "Master, you seem agitated." 

"Yes." Yoda gazed past the rest of the Jedi in the room. "Sense something dark beyond the war I do. Destroy us all, it could."

Mace frowned. "Beyond the war?"

The grandmaster hummed in confirmation but gave no other answer. Master Windu tucked the words into the back of his mind to meditate on later, and waited until the entire Council, including Obi-wan, took their seats.

Before anyone could speak, the message lights in the sides of their chair began to blink. Master Koon quickly patched it through to the communication center, but another one came in just after. He sent it off, but the message light was still on. 

"Is there a glitch?" He muttered, pressing the button multiple times. 

"I don't think so." Master Ti frowned. "But why would so many people be calling?" 

There was a chime, and the entire council looked at Adi Gallia, who picked up her comm. "Yes, Padawan?"

"Master, we're getting flooded with calls from the Senate and reporters asking us questions."

"Questions about what?"

"About…" The Padawan paused, not believing what they were hearing. "The Jedi creating the clone army."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jedi really don't know what they are doing. Thank the force for Obi-Wan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for the next couple of chapters to be politics/dialogue. I promise there is action planned we just have to get there.

Obi-wan Kenobi had experienced many unexpected twists and turns in his life, but being given a council seat and eventual Mastery in less than one hour definitely made it into the top ten. It was right up there with discovering a clone army that had been secretly ordered into existence by a former member of the Jedi council. Having these two very strange events overlap into a singular unbelievably unusual one was… extraordinary to say the least

But it had, and he now found himself at the center of an urgent conversation with the Jedi council about what to tell the angry senators who were currently on hold.

"We've all read the mission report, but I still believe it would be best for Kenobi to take the lead in this." Master Mundi was saying. "He was the one to discover it after all."

"That doesn't mean he must take responsibility." Adi Gallia responded. 

"It's true he is the only Jedi to visit Kamino since Sifo-dyas." Master Koon intoned. "But he was not in the council when the actual commissioning of the clones was done, therefore he cannot represent the views of the council at that time."

"The council at the time knew nothing of the clones, nor did they approve of Sifo-dyas's ideas. That was why he was removed from the council." Mace supplied background information for the younger members of the council and argued his point at the same time. 

"And we can all agree we are unsure of the ethics of creating a clone army can we not?" Shaak Ti pointed out.

The council nodded, sending out various opinions and feelings to each other in the force. Eventually, all eyes turned towards Obi-Wan, who took a moment to make sure he was calm and balanced before speaking. 

"I am willing to speak to the Senate about what I know, although I would greatly appreciate having some other Jedi who were on the council with Master Sifo-dyas with me."

"I will accompany you" Master Windu volunteered. 

"I would like to as well." Shaak Ti said. "I am concerned about the humanity crisis the Senate might have regarding the soldiers."

"Very well." Yoda tapped his gimer stick lightly on the floor. "Leave immediately for the Senate Master Windu, Master Ti, and Councilor Kenobi will. The rest of us will wait here."

The three Jedi rose, and Obi-Wan barley kept from saying the customary "Yes master" and bowing before following Shaak Ti out of the council chambers. He was already planning what he was going to say in his head. The Jedi would become suspect, of course, and depending on how the Senate took the news they could be wanting government intervention. They couldn't force the Jedi to join their army, but they would most certainly do their best to try. It was his job to counter those advances, as well as sound as neutral as possible. It would not do for the Republic to think the Jedi were against them. But it would be hard to convince them otherwise, if they got the idea in their minds. 

The senate probably would not listen to reasoning based on Jedi philosophy. He could always draw on the baseline rights of the Order as an organization, but that would only take him so far...

"Obi Wan." The voice of Mace Windu pulled the knight out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry to interrupt your planning, but I have a couple of points I would like to bring up."

"Of course, Master." Obi-Wan responded. They had reached the speeder bay by now, and Master Ti took the driver's seat while Master Windu got into the back with Kenobi so they could talk face to face. 

"First of all, we don't know how the Senate found out about this. Do you have any idea if the clones themselves knew?"

"No…" Obi wan thought back to his trip to Kamino. "I don't know what they know. Although it was mentioned to me as if it was no secret, so consider it a possibility." 

Mace frowned thoughtfully. "The Kaminoians are in the Senate now, if I remember correctly. They must know more than we do."

"Agreed." The knight hummed. They were only a few minutes away from the Senate building, but he could sense nothing from it. Concerning.

"Another thing." Master Windu clasped his hands in front of him. "One of the primary reasons we did not join the war is because of the darkness that inhibits our perception of the force. We did not list it as one of our official reasons, but if you believe the information would be useful, you have permission to use it."

Now it was Kenobi's turn to frown. "Master, wouldn't admitting weakness only add to the number of enemies trying to target us, not only attract the attention of the Sith?"

"It would, that is why we did not reveal it before. But presuming the Sith are the reason behind it, they already know. Besides, it might help convince the Senate we are not a group that could be dangerous to them."

"Do you really think they would think of us as a threat, Master?"

Mace closed his eyes for a moment. "It looks like they do. The cracks are deepening."

The younger Jedi had nothing to say to this, so he returned to his thoughts. A few minutes later they were at the Senate building. Their vehicle was instantly surrounded by sentient and droid reporters before Master Ti had even shut the engine off.

"Kenobi and I are going straight to present to the Senate." The Master of the Order said before they opened the doors. "Shaak?"

"I am with you if you need me." The master responded, and while Obi Wan was left wondering by the ambiguity of her statement, Windu nodded in understanding and they exited the speeder into a swarm of the media.

"Jedi! Hey Jedi! Look over here!"

"Master Jedi, are the rumors of you ordering the clones true?"

"Did you really know about the War years before it happened?"

"How do you feel about the reactions of the Senate?"

The shouted questions were ignored by the Jedi as they passed through the crowd, which was barely kept back by a couple of Republic guards who cast resentful looks at the force users as they walked by. Thankfully it was only a few meters into the Senate building, they left the swarm of reporters behind only to enter a much more hostile environment 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Senate is now in session.

All of the eyes in the Chamber of the Galactic Senate, approximately 14,000 in total, became fixed on the Jedi the moment they entered the room. There were three of them, standing impassively in one of the pods as it floated to the middle of the chamber. 

"My fellow citizens," Mas Amedda began, as he did at the beginning of every official gathering of the Senate. "We are here at this time to question the Jedi about their involvement with the making of the clone army of the Galactic republic. Before we open the floor, the Jedi will introduce themselves and make their opening statements."

The shortest Jedi, a human male, stepped forward and began. "Greetings, Senators. I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight. To my right is Jedi Master Mace Windu and to my left Jedi Master Shaak Ti. We represent the entirety of the Jedi Order, specifically the Jedi High Council."

With every mention of the word "Jedi" the senators looked more and more disgusted, and even the non force sensitives in the room could feel the tension growing with every second Kenobi spoke. 

"I begin my opening statement by saying that the Jedi Council did not know about the Clone army at the time of its commissioning, and would not have condoned its creation then or now. A Jedi Master named Sifo-dyas contacted the Kamonians in secret to request the Clone Army be made. Master Sifo-dyas was a former member of the High Council, at this time, having been relieved of his seat due to his extremist ideas. He died approximately ten standard years ago. 

"I was the first Jedi to visit the planet of Kamino since Master Sifo-dyas's dealings with the Kaminoians, and then was the first time that the Order had been aware of its existence. The entire deed of commissioning the creation of the clones was done without the Jedi Order's consent. And although we will take responsibility for the actions of Master Sifo-dyas, I will repeat what I said earlier. The Jedi Council would not have condoned the creation of a clone army when it was commissioned, and they still do not at present." 

Knight Kenobi gracefully bowed to Mas Ammeda, who looked down his nose silently at the Jedi before turning back to the Senators. "The floor will now be opened for questions, beginning with the senator of Mon Cala, Ikys Foriam."

The Calamari floated his pod out into the middle of the chamber. "I ask the Jedi why they did not reveal this information to the Senate when it was first uncovered."

Obi-Wan had a feeling that this would be the most civil question that was asked that morning, but to encourage such behavior he answered with as much friendliness as he could. 

"There was simply no time to, Senator Foriam. I reported to the Jedi council and then went straight to Geonosis. Master Yoda did go to Kamino shortly after I left the planet, but he immediately brought the clones to assist the Jedi against the Separatist droids on Geonosis. I assure you and the rest of the Senate that you would have been notified, had it not been for the emergency circumstances."

"Then why," Another Senator shouted via a translator. "Did you not tell us as soon as you could? What are you trying to hide?"

Tens of voices yelled their agreement, and Mas Ammeda did nothing to stop the uprising chaos. Instead he turned accusingly toward the Jedi, waiting for a response. 

"We have nothing to hide-" The youngest councilor began, but he could not be heard over the ruckus. Realizing that nothing would be done about the noise, Kenobi stepped backwards to wait it out. His fellow Jedi did the same, looking around at the senators without expression.

Once the room finally quieted down, Obi-Wan began again. "The Jedi have nothing to hide from the Senate. We did not tell you about Master Sifo-dyas's involvement with the clone army because we are still trying to figure it out ourselves."

"What about your "force?"" The same senator cried, this time moving their pod into the middle of the room. "Aren't Jedi supposed to know things?"

"The Jedi are not infallible." Councilor Kenobi cooly stared the Wookie down. 

"You're supposed to be! You're supposed to be sided with the Republic! You're supposed to be out there leading the army YOU created!"

Again, shouts of agreement rang throughout the Senate chamber. 

"That's right! Why do you not take responsibility!"

"How can you say you side with the Republic when you refuse to help us!"

There was a strum of anger slowly building every second the senators yelled. The Jedi glanced at each other. There was a particular  _ feel _ of the combined rage of the Senate made them uneasy. 

"Mace." Master Ti said quietly. The man tilted his chin in acknowledgement and closed his eyes. Then as suddenly as the odd feeling started, it stopped. Obi-Wan frowned, turning his full attention back to the crowd of beings. Mas Ammeda had finally taken initiative enough to call for silence and leaned over to hear something from the Chancellor before speaking again.

"The Senate recognizes the Senator of Naboo, Padme Amidala."

Padme held all the Jedi in her sharp glance as she floated forwards. "Master Jedi, I have worked with members of your Order many times before, and I have never known any Jedi to knowingly withhold any information from the Senate, much less something of this much gravity. That, along with your blatant refusal to assist the Republic in the war that was apparently foreseen by the Jedi, causes me to be unsure of your loyalty to the Republic."

The Senator finished her statement with a bite in her tone that caught Obi-Wan by surprise. He had considered Padme Amidala to be one of the friendlier faces in this discussion, but instead she provided the exact doubt of the Jedi to the Senate that Obi-Wan had been trying to avoid. Interesting. 

"The Order remains loyal to the Republic and ready to assist it in any way  **except** becoming part of its army." He said quickly, before there was another outcry. "Our decision to not take on military titles was heavily influenced by our Code, which is within our right as a religious organization."

It was practically flawless logic, but the Senate was currently running on emotion more than facts. 

"If you're not with us." Someone yelled. "How do we know you're not against us?" Obi-Wan could not exactly place where the voice was coming from, so he didn't know where to look for his response. Not that he would have had any time for one. The room burst into shouts and... applause. 

The three councilors stared, shocked at the Senators reactions. Had the Senate really lost trust in the Jedi that quickly? How could they have, when the order had faithfully served the Republic for hundreds of years?

"The darkness grows." Master Windu muttered, and Obi Wan felt inclined to agree. He had not told the council in his report about his conversation with Dooku, particularly the Count's words about a Sith in the Senate. He had figured that it was a ploy to make the Jedi distrust the Republic and distract them from the war. But now hearing Senators from all over the Galaxy cry out their suspicion of the Jedi, Obi-Wan thought he might just bring it up the soonest possible occasion. 

"I request a five minute recess." He practically shouted to Mas Amedda. But it was not the vice chair that gave a reply but the Chancellor himself. 

"I'm terribly sorry, Master Jedi." Palpatine said, his voice somehow carrying over the chaos around them. "But I cannot approve your request." Was it a trick of the light, or did a shadow of a smile appear on the Chancellor's face as he gestured to the horde of angry politicians?

"The Senate is still in discussion."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP the trust of the Senate. You weren't worth much but its still a loss for the Jedi.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bail Organa is a real one.

Politics is often confusing. people never say what they mean and oftentimes do what they don't say. Good politicians recognize this fact and make sure to examine the full situation of a matter, not just the information given to them. 

As it turned out, very few of these "good politicians" hold positions in the Senate of the Galactic Republic. The Senate had ended session after a chaotic five hours of wild accusations and assumptions regarding the Jedi Order, getting nothing decided except for the majority of the Senate felt that the Jedi could no longer be trusted. Fortunately for the Jedi, there was one Senator who held a different opinion than that of the majority, Bail Organa of Alderaan.

Senator Organa was currently in his office, looking through the reports the Chancellor had provided that morning and comparing it to what Master Kenobi had said today. He found that there were many striking discrepancies, most he could sum up to lack of information on the Chancellor's part. But some of the wording choices were direct contradictions. For example, in the Chancellor's report it was written that: _ The Jedi created an army for a war they must have predicted, yet in the Republic's time of need they abandon us.  _ That in itself could be used to defend the Jedi, if one argued that they did help by creating the army, despite their reluctance to join the ranks themselves. 

But then the Chancellor wrote:  _ Please consider the implications of this action from all angles. What else have the Jedi hidden from us? They could be influencing both sides of the war. May I remind you that the leader of the Separatist Movement, Count Yan Dooku of Sereno, is said to be a former Jedi. _

Bail had been shocked to find that out, as had the rest of the Senate. When questioned on the matter Master Kenobi had replied: "the Jedi have cut all ties to Count Dooku since he left the Jedi order. May I remind the Senate that he did try to kill not only myself, but Senator Amidala and P-  _ General _ Skywalker as well. Many Jedi lives were lost in the battle against him. He is truly separate from the Order."

Of course, he could have been lying. But from what Senator Organa knew of the Jedi they were fiercely protective of their own. It was a far stretch of morals for them to facilitate the deaths of other Jedi simply to be 'convincing.'

Looking over his notes, he saw another matter that had particularly struck him. The words of Senator Amidala about the Jedi. Normally he would do a little sleuthing, perhaps ask his aides to speak to some of her subordinates. But he and Padme had been friends for years, so instead he just called her.

Padme answered within seconds, she was at her desk, clearly already involved with another task. "Hello Bail, what can I do for you?"

"Good afternoon, Padme." The Alderannian responded, dropping his formal tone for a more casual one. "I apologise for interrupting your work. I wanted to ask you about some of what you said earlier." 

She flashed a glance up at the holo. "Ask away."

There was nothing but friendly impassivity in her tone, so Bail cleared his throat and looked down at his notes. "Were you truthful when you said that you felt the Jedi could no longer be trusted?"

"I was." She answered casually, almost forcefully so. 

"That's comes as a… surprise to me." Bail blinked. "You have worked with the Jedi on multiple occasions and have only had positive things to say about them. What made you change your opinion so quickly?"

Padme stopped what she was doing and paused before answering. "A number of things."

The man raised his eyebrows, "You mean the war?"

"That and other things Anakin has told me about. I don't distrust them completely, but I wanted to introduce the idea that the Jedi may have more going on behind the scenes than they should."

"It is well within their rights to not share all of their going-ons." he said carefully. 

"I mean specifically involving the government." his friend clarified quickly. "As well as the rise of the Seperatist party."

"That seems far fetched." Now Bail frowned. Padme was usually far more rational in her speculations. 

"Think about it, Bail. The leader of the Separatists is a former Jedi turned Sith. The Jedi were involved during the battle for Naboo against the early Seperatist movement where a Sith also turned up. Years later, the Jedi have an army ready to use against the Separatists in the nick of time, yet claim to know nothing of its creation. Then when the war breaks out, they promptly abandon said army, leaving it without leadership and practically doomed to fail. All they are doing now is sitting in their temple, trying to convince us that  _ they _ are completely on  _ our _ side."

Bail silently wondered when the "Republic and the Jedi" had turned into "them and us." But Padme had some good points, points worth serious consideration. 

"May I point out." he said slowly. "Anakin was a jedi."

"Anakin is different from them." She said, an edge of protectiveness coming into her tone. "He chose the Republic over religion."

The Alderannian Senator was silent, digesting her words. Master Kenobi had called upon the religious rights of the Order, but the choice to choose those rights over peace, not to mention the lives of hundreds of soldiers did seem unethical. Especially for a Jedi. 

"Thank you for your time, Padme." He said, jotting some more notes down on his datapad. "You definitely have given me a lot to think about."

His friend smiled warmly. "Anytime."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Wait a minute, we just got played."- The Jedi Council

The Jedi Council was once again in tense discussion. When the three Jedi had returned from the Senate building they went straight into the council chambers, where Councilor Kenobi immediately informed them of what Yan Dooku had told him on Geonosis.

The masters were shocked. At first, as Kenobi had, they didn't want to believe it, but Master Windu assured them that there was indeed darkness infiltrating in the senate. While he was not able to pinpoint the exact source, it was enough to know that the Sith was indeed among the politicians.

So the high council sat in silence for long moments until Master Rancis voiced all of their thoughts. "We have allowed this darkness to grow under our very noses, yet call ourselves Jedi Masters."

"We do not need shame, Master Ranicis." Master Windu snapped. "We are well aware of our oversight."

Depa Billaba spoke quietly from her chair. "The darkness clouded our vision, yet instead of looking for the source of the darkness we reached for the fading light..."

"...as we had been taught." Finished Sassee Tinn.

Master Mundi looked up sharply from intently staring at the floor. "Now is not the time to dwell on the shortcomings in our philosophy."

"Then what say you, Master Mundi?" Adi Gallia asked, an edge to her tone that made the entire council realized they needed to  _ calm down. _

__

So once again it was quiet while the masters got their emotions in check.

Obi-Wan had been thinking since he had left the senate building, and he finally had gathered his ideas enough to share them in a somewhat unoffending manner.

"May I say, masters, perhaps the error was not just in our own perception in the force. Qui-Gon was often upset when the jedi took orders from the republic, as opposed to following the will of the force. Perhaps this more… political view of things has been hindering us from seeing the full picture."

"Qui-Gon was not the only jedi to express their feelings on this matter." Master Plo sighed "And whether he was right is still in question. But I understand your point, we are no longer affiliated with the senate, and have no reason not to leave Coruscant."

"Leave Coruscant!" The rest of the council exclaimed with various tones of surprise. The proposal made their view of the situation go from somewhat to severe to extreme in a millisecond.

"The younglings and initiates at the very least." Plo continued. "It would not do for the future of the order to lie only kilometers away from the sith."

That, at least, the council could agree on.

"But where would they go?" Evan Piell asked the room. "We already feel the effects of the war, even though it is systems away from us. It is spreading across the entire galaxy. where could we move the younglings where it is safe?"

As was the trend when the council did not know what to do, silence prevailed.

"We have a lot of questions, but no answers." Master Gallia stated the obvious, just to get the conversation running again.

"One thing is certain," Mace's intense gaze captured the entire room. "We need to separate ourselves from this darkness."

The councillors nodded in agreement, and to everyone's surprise Master Ti, who had been silent since she returned from the senate building, spoke up.

"You forget the inciting incident of this conflict, the war. We are Jedi, we can not simply vanish from the face of the galaxy while lives are being lost. It would go against everything we stand for."   
  


"The survival of the order is our top priority" Master Windu cut in immediately.

"Do you really think the lives of jedi are worth more than the hundreds of clones that perish each day?"

"They are no less." Plo stated, and just when looked like another argument was going to break out Master Yoda opened his mouth.

"Listen to the force, we must. And for that, away from Coruscant we must be. Then work more on this matter, the council shall."

Shaak wasn't going to let go of her stance that quickly. "But what about the war and the clones?" 

"We don't know the full situation, until we do we cannot act." Master Rancis said, and the rest of the room agreed.

"We should contact the shadows and send out some more jedi to gather information on the war." Mundi suggested. "And in the meantime, we need to reach out to the corps, ask them if they have room for more." 

Now the council was back in motion, and the force began to humm with anticipation of change.

"Let us not forget the other temples scattered throughout the galaxy." Master Piell offered.

"If we spread out across the galaxy, we don't know if, or when the war will find us." Adi Gallia reminded the council. "In the case of that event, do we fight for our own?"

Master Billaba spread her hands "What else do we have to fight for?"

"So eager to fight, are you?" Master Yoda tapped his walking stick lightly on the floor "Remember, the last option, fighting is. Give up our morals for the situation we can not. Once already too close to that we have become. In times of change, separated, the order will feel. Together the council must be."

"It is decided then." Master Windu said solemnly, and all the Jedi in the room felt the force shift, a path diverted. What lay ahead however, was yet to be seen.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The clone wars continues.. without the Jedi but with Anakin.

Living first as a slave and then as a Jedi, there was not much that Anakin Skywalker had  _ not _ seen. He had borne witness to beatings, torture, and death in all sorts of gruesome ways.

But none of those experiences compared to the absolute _horror_ of the Clone War. Every day he would send his men out, strategizing and planning to the best of his ability while trying to minimize the casualties. And every day another squad would come back in, drenched in blood and sweat, reporting with empty voices the number of those killed in the battle. 

Even worse were the times when he would go out and fight with his men. Anakin couldn't quite manage the pure darkness of the battlefield. The force would scream non-stop at him for hours, magnifying the feeling of lives being ripped from the force and the anger of the clones as their brothers were shot down by the Separatists. It was so easy to get caught up in the fight, to surrender his mind to the need to destroy anything and everything that got in his way until it was over. 

But after he would come out of the battle-high Anakin would realize that he had done the very thing he had been taught to never do, even to fear. He tried to justify it in the beginning, they were only droids after all. 

Thinking about it now, lying on his cot in his ship, he was reminded of what Obi-Wan had said when he made that same excuse during training at the temple. "For now they are droids. Soon they will be living opponents. Will you destroy those so mercilessly as well?" (Don't think of the raiders, Anakin. That was different.)

And of course the memory make him angry because  _ kriff the Jedi.  _ They probably would be mortified with his way of fighting now, and say it was "too dangerous" and "close to the dark side." Well if they had been in this war they would experience for themselves that there was no way once could try to "stay in the light" on the battlefield. Personally Anakin wondered what the difference between the was, they were both just the force after all. Maybe that's why the order refused to help the Republic they knew they weren't strong enough to handle the war while keeping to their Jedi ways.

Well, to quote Padme, "Luckily the Republic has a General Skywalker on their side."

He smiled thinking of his wife and glanced at the clock, he still had a good thirty minutes left in his allotted rest period, but unfortunately he was unable to rest without the force yelling in his head about something or another. He considered meditating for a moment, but no, that was a Jedi thing, and Anakin was not a Jedi. So instead he sat up and flicked the lights on, grabbing the datapad off the table in his quarters. He had received some written messages, probably reports, but one flagged URGENT! caught his eye right away. It was from the Chancellor. Anakin opened it immediately, desperately hoping it wasn't another Republic system leaving for the Separatists. 

It wasn't, but still he scowled. It was a condensed recording of a senate meeting, and front and center of the first frame was none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The last time he had spoken to Obi Wan the man had yelled at him about being loyal to the jedi, asking why he was abandoning the order. Anakin had shouted back, telling him that the ones who were abandoning were the jedi, and Obi Wan should be ashamed to ever considered himself one of them, because he (Anakin) sure was.

And now here Kenobi was, speaking to the Senate and still trying to defend the Order. It was clear that none of the Senate was buying it, and he felt a little thrill run down his spine when they started cheering Padme's proposition. In his mind, it was clear that the Jedi couldn't be trusted to defend the Republic any more. That was his responsibility now, as high general. 

He closed the recording and took a brief look at the most recent of the reports. General Oid had been outmaneuvered on Christophis, resulting in 94% casualties. Anakin physically winced at the number. It was the highest casualty rate he had seen thus far. But the report went on to say that the general that led the Separatists had been a cyborg that carried lightsabers…

Interesting. So this thing (person?) was supposedly General Grievous of the Seperatist army, and he wanted to know "Tell the jedi to come try and take him down. He would slaughter them just like he did the pathetic clones." General Oid said that Grevious had spared their life just so they could deliver that message to the Jedi, and he was requesting High General Skywalker, who was known for his skill in battle (they left out the "former jedi" part, for which Anakin was thankful,) would go check it out, as the Jedi were currently under suspicion by the Republic. 

Anakin thought about it for a moment. all he had to do was battle planning to do, and that could be left up to Tilt for a day or so. So the general shrugged on his clothes and some light armor and headed down to the bridge. He would relay the situation to Commander Tilt, holo-call General Oid, and then he would be off. 

_ General Grievous, huh? _ He thought, his hands already tingling with anticipation.  _ You'll pay for the men you killed. I'll make sure of it. _


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget Sidious.

The Jedi were fools. Palpatine had decided that long ago, but he had expected his apprentice Tyrannus to be at least somewhat smarter than they. After all, he had given up their ways years ago. So imagine his surprise when he heard that Anakin had gone off to face the Separatist General Grievous on a personal challenge by the cyborg. And Tyrannus had allowed this, knowing full well that if Skywalker was injured it could throw off Palpatine's plan for months.

To say that Palpatine was furious would be an understatement. He called Tyrannus as soon as he was able. As soon as the man answered he began to speak in an enraged whisper, just so his apprentice would have to strain his ears. 

"I tell you to keep your forces under control, and now I hear that your General Grievous has personally challenged  _ my _ General Skywalker."

"I am terribly sorry, my master." Tyrannus said, still on one knee, his head bowed towards the holo. "Grievous is a good general, but his hatred of the Jedi makes him.. unpredictable. Once he heard the Jedi would not be participating in the war he took it upon himself to ask the Jedi to come fight him. And apparently the Republic Army distrusts the Jedi enough they called for Skywalker instead."

Well, that was the man's own fault for hiring such a revenge-biased general. If Grievous hurt Skywalker too much, Tyrannus would be to blame. 

"If he incapacitates Skywalker, you will pay with your life." Palpatine snarled. 

"I am aware, master." Tyrannus sounded undisturbed by his threat. "I will speak with general Grievous and tell him to let Skywalker go with minimal injury."

"And if he doesn't?"

"If he doesn't." Tyrannus looked up, his eyes unreadable but his voice dark. "Then he will pay."

"Very good, Lord Tyrannus. Also take care with you own maneuvers, the war must drive the Republic to the peak of desperation, not totally decimate it." The Sith Lord shut off the call. Tyrannus was such a good pawn, intelligent, decisive, and effective. It was a pity he would have to be killed by Skywalker. Well, small sacrifice for the power that would be under his control.

Palpatine looked out his window over his planet. Deep in his mind, he felt something shift. The force was stirring, something was happening, something that could change everything for him. 

Sidious reached out, and the force easily answered his call for foresight. He saw flashes of images, ships being boarded by groups of children, the temple practically vacated of the weak light the jedi produced. The order was… evacuating it seemed. 

For a terrifying moment he thought that they somehow sensed his plan to destroy them. Or maybe they were just afraid of his darkness (he knew they sensed it), and wanted to get as far away from them as possible.

Yes, that must be it. There was no way the weaklings could have sensed his dark plot through the light they searched in. And while this development was surprising, but not unwelcome by any means. 

In fact it was more than welcome, it was absolutely wonderful! The upcoming event would be the final straw to convince the Republic that the Jedi were not on their side.  _ The Jedi are leaving Coruscant, telling no one where they are going. We have no idea what they're plotting.  _ Then He would call tyrannus when the Jedi first begin to move, and tell him to set General Grievous on the hunt. If the cyborg was as good as his apprentice claimed perhaps he wouldn't even need Order 66. Meanwhile on Coruscant he could do whatever he wanted in the Senate with no interference. Then all he had left to do was break Skywalker, (who was slowly coming around, he could sense it) and everything would be ready. The force favored the sith on this day.

And the Jedi… 

Palpatine chuckled. Oh, the Jedi- They were bigger fools than he had thought. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussion time.

In the end, about half the council was tasked to gather information about the war and the Senate, and the others were assigned to the "moving project."

So Masters Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, Depa Billaba, and Kenobi met informally to discuss the relocation of the order. 

"We need somewhere far from Coruscant." Master Koon began. "Far from the shadow of darkness."

"As you know, I've been doing some research, evident on the list I sent out yesterday." Depa Billaba said, flicking through her datapad. "We have several options just in other temples around the galaxy, but we will have to be careful to say out of the way of the war."

"Which may prove impossible at this rate." Kenobi muttered.

"So let us say that we move the young ones and initiates to one of the other temples." Master Ti prompted. "What of the knights and Masters?"

"They will stay here, for now. To leave all at once would arouse more unneeded suspicion."

"The goal of this move was to be rid of the clouding darkness so we can see clearly." The Kel-Dor spoke firmly. "To achieve that goal, we must include the knights and masters, perhaps even prioritize them."

"I agree." Obi wan said. "If the Jedi move, we should move as one."

"But the whole of the archives and holocron vaults cannot be relocated." Shaak pointed out. "They were built to be permanent."

"That is true, but we can take some of their contents with us. The rest we will have to leave here to be guarded. We will have to ask Madame Nu." Billaba tapped a note out on her data pad. "The same situation with the halls. We can not take all of the equipment."

"Perhaps we should keep the medi-corps here to help those injured in the war." The togoutra suggested. "Especially the clones. I do not like what we have been hearing about the Republic's treatment of them."

All of the councilors frowned. They had all read the reports. Clones were dying by the thousands, many deaths probably could have been avoided if they had been treated as valuable lives rather than expendable ones. Even in interviews, the Republic generals called their men simply "clones," or "units," occasionally "soldiers." But they were never personified.

  
  


Master Billaba tilted her head. "Specifically the clones? Perhaps that could be our way of "taking responsibility" as Obi-Wan said in the Senate."

"The senate would most likely veto the option as soon as they hear of it." Master Koon stated. 

"We don't have to go through the Senate." Obi-Wan said. "We go through Kamino."

"The Kaminoians are part of the Senate now, they may not be willing to trust the Jedi any longer." Plo sighed through his respirator.

"Indeed." Mace Windu slipped into the empty seat at the table. "I apologize for being late. The Senate considers the jedi as good as Mandalorians at this point. The Kamonians have not expressed that themselves, however, so it is possible that whatever you're speaking if could work."

"Serving the clones through the halls." Shaak Ti informed him, and the Korun narrowed his eyes but said nothing. 

"The Kamonions have proven themselves to be a bit… morally ambiguous, especially in political matters." Master Plo said. "Perhaps that could be to our advantage."

"Before we continue down this path, are we sure the clones will even accept the temple if it is offered to them?" Master Windu asked. "They are the ones forced to suffer in a war they have nothing to do with."

"They have no basis to feel hatred for us as the senate does." The Kel-Dor master responded. "This could be our way of helping them, proving to them that we are not what their generals say we are." 

"The simplest kindness…" Master Ti said quietly, quoting an old Jedi saying that all of the councilors knew. 

"...Can fill a galaxy with hope." Kenobi finished. "Perhaps that is what the clones need right now."

"I think you underestimate their stubborness." Master Windu insisted. "They are genetic copies of Jango Fett, after all." 

"And they serve the Republic, and are modified to be loyal." Plo said, and all the Jedi inwardly cringed at the thought of such mental modification.

"Well, it is an idea." Master Billaba stated, moving to change the topic. "By the way, Mace, did you read the list I sent?"

The man looked at her blankly, then apologetically. "I was busy with some other work, so I didn't have time before I stopped by."

"Our top options are Lothal, and Ach-To." Depa summarized quickly, "Temples already built there, but Dooku knows about them, so they can be easily found."

"You say that like we are trying to hide." Councilor Kenobi commented. 

"Aren't we, to an extent?" The woman looked around the table. "An intergalactic war has broken out and the Sith have returned. As an Order we need to make sure our future is safe."

The masters nodded. 

"So for now, the younglings and their caretakers go far offworld." Master Windu confirmed. "What of the rest of the jedi?" 

"The corps has space available." Plo said. "We can begin assigning groups to their locations as soon as we need."

"A number will have to stay behind to guard the temple, but The Councils should all stay together," Master Ti spoke suddenly. "Along with the senior masters."

"We shouldn't stray too far from Coruscant." Master Billaba said. "Just far enough to be mostly rid of the fog."

"That might prove impossible, with the war." Master Koon rumbled. 

The councilors frowned at each other, thinking.

"Hold that thought for now." Mace said, standing from his seat. "I have a feeling that the force will provide."

"I hope you're right, Master." Obi-wan muttered, watching the Master of the Order leave. "I hope you're right."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin confronts Grevious

Christophis would have been rather beautiful, had it not been for the explosive-scarred terrain and the way the force stank of death. Well, the force part was specific to those who could feel it, and Anakin sure felt it as he landed his ship on the ground of the planet. He did his best to tune it out of his mind as looked around. He had not seen any Seperatist presence on the side of the plant he had come out of hyperspace on, nor was there any now. But he had a feeling that Grievous was not one to go back on his word. 

"Tell Tilt I've landed, R-2." He said, climbing out of his fighter and dropping to the ground. "Take the ship into the lower atmosphere and stay alert. The Separatists could be anywhere."

His droid whistled in confirmation, so the general strode off into what was left of the crystalline forest. The battle had reportedly been five days ago now, and the remains, mostly clone, were testimony enough of the massacre it had been. Now it literally stank of death, and Anakin's stomach churned. But he trudged on, not knowing exactly where he was going but trusting that if Grievous wanted to find him then he would be found.

After fifteen minutes of walking, the general's theory proved correct, and Anakin heard/sensed the whirr of mechanics before a two meter tall cyborg stalked towards him

"I asked for a Jedi." The Seperatist general growled, intimidation smoking off every part of him from his metal limbs to his yellow eyes. 

"You asked for a fight." Anakin responded, unafraid and somewhat amused but the other general's display. "I'm here to give you one."

Grievous spat what probably was a laugh, but sounded more like static from a rusty comm. "Then you're here to die." 

Metal arms reached for a metal waist and came away with two lightsabers, he ignited them, and to the Anakin's shock the weapons glowed green. 

"Those are Jedi sabers!"

"I took them off of Jedi I killed myself." Grievous boasted, swinging the weapons menacingly in the air.

So the cyborg had either bought them or Grievous was stronger than he thought. Anakin didn't have time to decide which option was the most likely because the space in front of him was suddenly empty and the force screamed in warning. 

Anakin barley had his saber ignited in time to block the first of Grievous's blows, counter attacking without a second thought. The other general grunted in surprise at the sight of his blue blade. 

"A Jedi!" He cackled gleefully. Anakin narrowed his eyes, letting his anger at the cyborg fill him. This man had facilitated the deaths of almost two thousand of clones in this system alone. He deserved to suffer and die by Anakin's hand. 

"I'm not a Jedi." He said lowly. 

"Really?" The cyborg taunted, raining glancing blows down at all angles, "How come?"

Anakin quickly realized that none of the strikes were actually meant to kill him. The seperatist general was toying with him, and that made him even angrier. 

"Would a Jedi do this?" Anakin snarled, calling upon the force. He lifted Grievous high up into the air and began to slowly squeeze his artificial sides, watching him flail with satisfaction. The Seperatist threw one of the sabers at him, and he moved a meter to the right so it harmlessly spun past him.

"You should have thrown both." He shouted. 

The cyborg wheezed, trying to get air to flow into his folding lungs. "You are a coward, using your Jedi powers instead of fighting me face to face."

"First of all." Anakin called, releasing his force grip suddenly. "I'm not a Jedi."

Grievous fell to the ground and landed solidly on four limbs, coughing. 

"And secondly," Anakin walked towards the seperatist slowly, swinging his saber in arcs around him as the cyborg had moments before, but he didn't move to strike the general, stopping two strides away from where he crouched and pointing his blade at him. "I'm not a coward. Stand up and fight me if you can."

Yellow eyes stared at him like they had never seen him before, and Anakin waited for one... two… three…

"I'm getting impatient." He said, stepping forward. Grievous sprung, swinging his blade down in a blow so strong that Anakin needed two hands to block it, then he grabbed the Republic general with one of his clawed feet and threw him into a crystalline tree. The impact  _ hurt _ , but Anakin didn't quite register the pain as he rolled to his feet. They danced around each other, rushing in to strike and then dodging the counter attacks. Grievous had height, weight, and speed on his side, but Anakin had the force. When Grievous got a little too close for comfort he would push the cyborg back, giving himself enough time to regain his stance. 

"Coward." The Seperatist growled again. "You know you are too weak to defeat me with weapons alone."

"We'll see about that." Anakin grunted, jumping high in the air and attempting to get a strike in from above. He succeeded, cutting off one of the cyborg's limbs while simultaneously getting cut from his shoulder blade to the base of his back. Both of the warriors yelled, and Anakin rolled as far away from Grievous as he could, panting with pain as much as exertion. Grievous stalked up to him, and Anakin lifted his saber in defence, but the cyborg didn't strike. 

"I should kill you." The Seperatist wheezed. "But I don't care about Dooku's war. Go back to Coruscant and tell the Senate I will decimate their entire army if the Jedi do not come face me themselves."

"The Jedi are weak." Anakin said, pain making his vision go in and out of focus. "They don't fight because they are too weak."

" _ You _ are weak." Grievous spat. "Tell them, not-Jedi, or next time i will take your life."

Before Anakin could manage a coherent response, Grievous was gone. The young man painfully pulled himself into a sitting position and activated his comm. 

"R2, come get me." He commanded, gasping at the throbbing pain in his back. R2 beeped in confirmation, and Anakin tilted his head back to rest on the tree trunk. How could he have lost? He was supposed to be powerful, he was the high general of the Republic! And Grevious had the audacity to say he "didn't care about the war" and ask for a Jedi because Anakin didn't make the cut.

Anger filled him, burning as intensely as the lightsaber wound in his back. He was more powerful than any Jedi. If only he had just crushed him in the air, or pulled him apart limb from limb. He shouldn't have allowed the taunting to get under his skin. 

Next time, Anakin swore. Next time he saw Grievous he would use the force to kill him slowly and painfully. He would use his power without any hesitation. Next time would be the last time anyone dared to call Anakin Skywalker "weak" ever again.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The great General Skywalker was beaten (well, kinda) and now he has to tell the Chancellor.

Commander Tilt was personally quite shocked when he heard that his general had been injured. General Skywalker was in all honesty the best individual warrior he had ever seen, to think that he had been beaten by General Grievous in personal combat was… interesting. This information, along with the overwhelming Speratist Victory on Christophis, put Grievous as one of the top targets for the GAR (second only to Count Dooku), as well as one of the most dangerous.

General Skywalker's opinion of the cyborg seemed to be far less factual than Tilt's, evident by the words he was currently muttering under his breath as the Commander entered his room in the medbay. The clone couldn't hear the exact words he was saying, but the tone enough was enough to get the general ida across. Skywalker was angry, a deep, personal anger that Tilt had seen from him before. Usually this emotion resulted in some sort of amazing feat of strength on the battlefield, resulting in a victory for the republic, but this time Tilt got an uneasy feeling.

He shook it off.  _ This is your general, commander, you do not doubt him.  _ The clone stopped in the doorway and saluted. "General." 

"Tilt." The man practically growled, then seemed to realize that he was talking to his commander, not himself, and relaxed his tone. "At ease. What is it?"

"Sir, the Supreme Chancellor called while you were away. I told him that you were unavailable, and informed him of what your mission was after his request. He asked for another report as soon as possible after you returned. Would you like to speak to him or shall I deliver any information needed?"

Skywalker rolled his shoulders, swinging his legs over the side of the cot. "I'll do it. set up in the comm center, I'll be there in five."

"Yes, Sir." Tilt left the room and Anakin stood, gingerly stretching the muscles of his back. The bacta had done a good job, the pain was only a dull ache now. His resentment, however, still burned like it had on Christophis. The general sighed, trying to push the feelings out of his mind for the time being. He was going to speak to the Chancellor. No matter how much he viewed Palpatine as a friend, even a mentor at times, he still had to be professional. 

In a few minutes Skywalker was dressed in his normal uniform and up in the communications center, trying not to fidget his hands behind his back as he waited for chancellor PLAlpatine to pick up his call. He was by no means afraid to report, no, he was not afraid of anything. But it was a new experience for him to be reporting such a failure, especially one that could have turned the tide of the war. His brain flashed back to the image of Grievous standing over him, the cyborg's growl echoing in his mind. 

**_You_ ** _ are weak. Tell them, not-jedi. _

The memory still made him grit his teeth, anger rising in his chest. Unfortunately, the Supreme Chancellor chose that exact moment to open the channel, and Anakin was sure that the first thing Palpatine saw was his face snarling at the holo. He straightened, schooling his face into what he hoped was impassivity. "Chancellor Palpatine, Sir."

"General Skywalker!" The older man sounded relatively happy to see him. Maybe he hadn't caught Anakin's face after all. "You bring good news, I hope?" 

Anakin's jaw clenched. "Unfortunately not, Chancellor." He said. 

"Oh?"

"I was unable to defeat General Grievous on Christophis." 

"Ah." Palpatine didn't sound too disappointed, to the general's relief. "Well I suppose it cannot be helped. I am glad you made it out alive in one piece, my boy. I must admit, I was rather concerned when I heard that you were going to face him alone. It must have been a difficult battle, considering what I have heard of Grievous."

"It should have been." The words jumped out of Anakin's mouth before he knew he was speaking. "But he didn't even care."

The Chancellor leaned forward, raising an eyebrow. "Come again?"

The younger man cleared his throat. Why had he said that? This was an official report, not a chat over some drinks! 

But now he had to tell. He couldn't just keep things from the leader of the entire Republic after all.

"Nothing, Chancellor. It was just… Grievous seems to have a strange obsession with the Jedi. He wants to battle them it seems. He did not even unleash his full strength on me because I was not one of  _ them _ . He threatened to wipe out all of our forces if we did not send some Jedi to face him." Just the idea made him scowl.

Palpatine looked thoughtful. "So he has something against the Jedi, does he? Well, they have stayed secluded in their temple ever since their presentation at the Senate several weeks ago, but I suppose if Grievous has threatened them i will give them a call…"

"No!" Anakin cut in. "No, we shouldn't involve the Jedi. They already refused to fight for the Republic, and we cut them off. We can't go crawling back  _ asking _ them to come back. I'll take care of Grievous."

"That is an interesting point, Anakin." The Chancellor looked at him closely, as if looking for something specific in him. "But you have already been beaten by General Grievous once. What makes you so sure you will triumph over him the next time you meet?"

The general stood firmly, not letting his own gaze waver. "I only lost this time because of an error in my own offense." He said, refusing to admit that he had let his pride get in the way. "I will not fail again, Chancellor. The next battle against Grievous will be his last."

Palpatine studied him for one more moment, then seemed to relax, as if satisfied with the confidence he saw in Anakin. "If you think it would be best, General Skywalker." He said formally. "I will keep this information restricted to the War Council."

"I do, Chancellor." Anakin nodded with grim determination. "Thank you for your time. General Skywalker out."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bail Organa takes matters into his own hands

Senator Bail Organa of Alderann traveled to the Jedi temple alone. It had been over a week since the disastrous meeting where Jedi had appeared before the senate, and no one had heard from them since. All the reporters and senators who called them were simply told that the Jedi would not be answering any questions at this time. But Bail was not here to ask, but to tell. 

Despite this, the senator was a little… not nervous, but apprehensive. He hadn't given the Jedi any notice before getting in his airspeeder and driving down to the temple, they might turn him away. As he got closer to the grand building, the temple hailed him. 

"Citizen, you are entering the airspace of the Jedi Temple, please state your name and business here."

"Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan." He answered the automated message. "I would like to speak with the Jedi Council."

There was silence, and then a sentient voice came over the speaker. "Senator Organa, you may land on the platform to your left that is lit up in blue. A Master will be over to greet you and escort you to the council chambers."

"Thank you." Bail said, and did as he was instructed. It seemed that the Jedi had almost been expecting him. That was.. good. He took a deep breath as he landed, relaxing his shoulders before squaring them again. What he was here to do was nothing wrong. Against public opinion perhaps, but not wrong. 

Organa opened his vehicle and climbed out to a tall Jedi watching him carefully. 

"Senator Organa."

"Master Jedi." Bail dipped his head in return. The Jedi seemed to scan him with his eyes, and then relaxed slightly, apparently having decided that the senator was here with no malicious intent. 

Or perhaps he sensed it. The Jedi were funny that way. 

"I am Master Ima-gun Di, I will be escorting you to and from the council chambers." The Nikto said briskly, turning and waiting for the human to come beside him before beginning to walk. 

"It is a pleasure, Master Di." Organa murmured out of habit, looking around in slight awe as the entered the Jedi Temple. He had never been in the building before, and the feel of the place was different that one would expect it to be from the outside. It was awe-inspiring, to say the least. Grand pillars and statues stood tall, rising to the lofty ceiling and illuminated by the light streaming in from windows high above his head. Despite how breathtaking the environment was it was... calming in an odd way. It was like the air itself moved in a specific rhythm throughout the entire temple, making him feel like he was an intruder on sacred ground.

Master Di chuckled low in his throat. "You are not the first being that has been rendered speechless by the Great Hall."

"It's beautiful." Bail said, slightly embarrassed to have been caught staring. 

"Indeed it is." The Jedi agreed, leading him into a turbolift. The ride up to the council chambers wes spent in an easy silence, and when they arrived the senator was once again in awe at the simplistic beauty of the waiting area. 

Not that he had much time to admire it, as Master Di led him quickly through the room, nodding at the young Jedi at the desk before gesturing for the senator to stand beside him at the door. The doors opened, and Bail stepped as confidently as he could into the presence of the Jedi council. 

For a moment he didn't know where to look, being surrounded by Jedi masters. He recognized many from their involvement with the Senate, so he turned to the ones he knew of the most, Masters Yoda and Windu, and spoke. 

"Greetings, Master Jedi."

"Greetings, Senator Organa." Master Windu replied neutrally. "What brings you to the temple?"

The question was rather straightforward, far from the "beating around the bush" politics that Bail was used to. But he supposed that the Jedi were not politicians by title, so he responded in kind.

"I am here to speak to the council as a representative of Alderaan."

The Jedi gave no clue to their thoughts or emotions on their faces, but Master Yoda's tone was friendly enough when he spoke. 

"Then speak, Senator Organa. Hear you the council will."

The Alderannian inclined his head slightly at the Master (grandmaster?), and began. 

"One of the foundational principles of Alderaan is the idea of freedom of choice, the greatest among these choices being the choice of peace. Many of the government officials of Alderann, including myself and Queen Organa, were taken by surprise when the Jedi announced that they would not be fighting for the Republic in the Clone war, but we have come to respect and even admire your decision. I am aware that many of the other planets of the republic do not see the Order in the same light as Alderaan does, but I assure you that you have an ally in Alderaan. If the reactions of the Senate become more severely turned against you, we will stand by your side."

Bail finished his speech and was met with silence. He spared a quick glance around the room, all of the Jedi were impassive. He looked out the window at the speeders whizzing by, just to give his brain something to do while he waited for someone to speak. 

"We thank you, Senator Organa." One of the Jedi, a Kel-Dor, said at last. "Your words are a ray of light in the shadow that is the relationship between the Jedi and the Republic."

Organa had a feeling that there was some deeper meaning in this statement that he did not understand, judging by the sudden change in the air of the council chamber. But he didn't have time to think about it before Master Ki-Adi Mundi, (Bail knew him, he had worked with him before), spoke up. 

"You mentioned that the Senate could grow more biased against the Jedi. Do you believe that their actions could become extreme?"

"It could happen." Bail admitted slowly, "The strain of the war has made emotion run high. Especially when discussing the Jedi and their past role in the different conflicts around the galaxy." 

He left it at that, waiting to see if they would try to get more information out of him. He didn't know how desperate the Jedi where to get the Senate to trust them again. Apparently not that much, because Master Windu leaned forward in his seat. 

"Senator Organa, you were correct when you say we Jedi strive for peace. It is a great comfort to hear that there are others in the galaxy who think this way. I can assure you that your trust in the Jedi will not be misplaced."

Bail met the other man's stare squarley, politely inclining his head again. "Thank you, Master Windu, that is all I wanted to hear from this meeting."

"But we do ask of you one thing." Windu continued, and the senator raised his eyebrows slightly to indicate he was listening. 

"If there ever comes a point when the Senate calls into question your own loyalty because of your involvement with the Order, do not hesitate to call upon us for anything that may help you."

"Thank you." Bail repeated, this time a little more genuinely than out of habit. It had been one of his concerns with coming here that the Senate might become un-needingly suspicious, but the Jedi seemed to understand this fact.

"No, Senator Organa." Master Yoda said, staring at the Aderannian with eyes that seemed to see right through him. "Thank  _ you _ ."


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More plot development through dialogue... Who would have thought?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to take a moment to shout-out and appreciate all the people who have commented. You guys have really taken this story in a direction i never could have expected, and I'm sure it wouldn't have been half as good as it is now without your suggestions. So thank you!

In the moments after Senator Organa left the room, the Jedi council closed their eyes and breathed a long sigh of relief. They had an ally in the senate, the entire galaxy was not turned against them.

"Thank the force" Billaba said quietly but fervently, and all of the masters were inclined to agree.

"Since we are here," Master Windu began, not one to waste time. "We might as well discuss a few matters. First, Master Ti, you had been in contact with the Kaminoans."

The Togutra tilted her chin. "I told the Kaminoan cloners that the Jedi were willing to provide the clones access to the Halls of healing if needed, free of charge. They took some time to discuss it, then came back with a refusal, their sole reason being that the medical facilities provided by the Republic were adequate."

None of the councilors felt very strongly about the Kaminoians decision, it had just been an idea after all, so they moved on.

"Master Tiin." Yoda said. "Something to share you have."

Tiin nodded "You may remember the two Jedi who we lost contact with several weeks ago. A small team was sent to the outer rim to investigate. Their corpses were found near the Bri'hal system. Their bodies were marked by saber wounds, but their sabers were nowhere to be found." The Iktoshi waved a hand, and a holo appeared in the middle of the chamber, showing the remains of the two Jedi. The council observed in solemn silence, many releasing a small bit of grief for the Jedi lost into the force. 

Even Piell spoke. "Saber wounds but no sabers. Unless their bodies had been transported away from the scene of the battle, they should have been nearby."

"Reports indicate that they were found in the place of the fight." Saesee confirmed, looking around the room for input.

Gallia frowned. "The Sith?"

"Perhaps." The Master of the Order said. "But the cuts are… crude. much unlike dooku."

"Then who?" Kenobi muttered, half to himself.

Ki Adi Mundi raised a hand to his chin, thinking. "The only other known lightsaber-carrying warrior in the galaxy that is not Jedi or Sith is… Skywalker."

"Anakin would never kill another Jedi." Obi wan said immediately, almost defensively.

"We are not saying he did." Master Ti reminded him gently.

"That is one of the other things I wanted to speak about." Master Windu said abruptly. "The boy- Skywalker, has always been the point of many convergences in the force. as of late, the shatterpoints around him have shifted dramatically. I've spent hours trying to see where they lead, but to no avail. All I know is that the future of the galaxy still rests upon his shoulders."

The council was silent for a moment, considering his words.

"He is not a Jedi anymore," Plo Koon stated the obvious. "There is nothing we can do to keep an eye on him"

Master Rancis shifted slightly in his seat. "Technically we still have some connection…"

It took a moment, but the room soon caught on to what is idea was. Slowly, all eyes turned to Master Kenobi, who was looking rather uncomfortable at the way this discussion was going.

"I would like to consider all other options before going down this path." He said, his tone suddenly detached and impersonal.

Master Yoda nodded, somehow managing to look both disappointed and sympathetic. "Very well."

"Anything else?" Windu asked, quickly moving the conversation on.

Master Peill spoke again. "We are beginning to get the first reports from the shadows about the war, specifically the planets the war has been on."

"And?" Plo Koon prompted.

"It's worse than we thought."

The master switched the holo to flash images of the battlefields that were littered with bodies and droid parts. The amount of corpses were innumerable, and the feeling of the room grew more and more grim as the slideshow went on. It ended with some statistics, showing basic intel about the war garnered from both Republic and Seperatist media.

Depa Billaba leaned forward in her seat. "The Separatists were ready for this war, the Republic was not. Looking at the sheer number of mass strength they have… They should have won by now."

"Not only that," Master Mundi said. "But where and when they choose the battles. They control this war, yet they do not use that to their advantage. Overall they are moving politically, not strategically."

"It does seem like Dooku's style." Rancis offered. "He has always been the more manipulative sort."

"Knows when to press his advantages Dooku does." Yoda insisted. "Holding back he is. Waiting."

"Waiting for  _ what _ is the question." Adi Gallia commented, and the room quieted as the councillors thought.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, as was his particular gift, was struck by a thought that changed everyone's perspective. "Masters," He began slowly. "Dooku, the head of the seperatist party is in league with a Sith. And in the senate of the Galactic Republic there is a Sith."

Shaak Ti caught on to his train of thought. "You are suggesting a greater scheme."

The younger Master nodded, and the entire council fell into shocked silence at the proposal and what it entailed.

"We need to find the Sith here, now." Saesee Tiin declared. The councilors agreed distractedly, each caught up in their own speculations.

Master Yoda let out a long-suffering sigh. "Feel the force too, this Sith can. Know we are onto them, they will sense."

"Then we need to move quickly to get the Order in a safe position."

"Finding out who exactly this Sith is should take top priority." Depa Billaba insisted. 

Master Koon steepled his hands in front of him. "How can we investigate without making us subject to more suspicion?"

"Obi-Wan," Gallia started carefully. "Dooku told you about the Sith in the senate."

Ki-Adi jumped in at once "You realize if we go to him we are trusting a Sith to tell us of other Sith. They could lead us into a trap."   
  


The rest of the council barring Obi-Wan looked at Adi as if she were insane, but Master Kenobi remained thoughtful. 

"Masters, i don't believe dooku is fully a Sith."

Rancis scoffed. "One can never be "Not fully a Sith.""

"Then not a Sith at all." Obi-wan spread his hands. "He does want to destroy the Sith, he told me that much, and I sensed no lie in his words."

"Trust him, you do, Master Kenobi?" Master Yoda tilted his head. 

"...To an extent."

Now the grandmaster looked thoughtful, but the council in general disapproved the idea. 

"We should consider going to Dooku as a last resort only." Master Mundi proclaimed.

"Agreed." Shaak Ti said at once, and was echoed by most of her colleagues.

The force shifted their attention away from Kenobi to Master Windu, who had been quietly pensive since they had begun talking about the Sith.

"We need to move quickly, my friends." He said quietly, staring into the ground, perhaps looking for shatterpoints. Whatever he felt made his eyes grow dark and his face fall expressionless. "Before the Sith move faster."


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat of an interlude

Time passed and tension rose between the people of the Galactic Republic and the Senate. Citizens began to wonder why the war was dragging on so long, could their government not stop the institution that threatened them? 

In reality the GAR was barely able to keep up with the Seperatist movement and their army. Faces began to disappear from the senate floor as planets began to surrender the Confederacy since the Republic could not send aid fast enough. The Jedi Council, seeing the devastation of the war on these conquered worlds, (the Separatists did nothing to aid the common citizen) began to covertly send Jedi onto these worlds The Order would send aid by way of food and medical supplies, and help any way they could, but all Jedi were under strict orders to  _ never  _ turn their blade against the Seperatist droids.

These journeys became the common mission of almost all of the Jedi and their Corps, and they did two very important things. Firstly, they began to naturally combine the Guardian Jedi with the Corps members, and the main temple slowly emptied of knights and padawans as they were assigned to different stations across the galaxy until only the temple guard, masters, and the young ones remained on Coruscant. Secondly, the missions started what would be a drawn-out exchange between the Jedi Order and the Seperatist General Grievous.

The Jedi did not know of the cyborg until he was encountered on one of the Seperatist planets, killing three of the four Jedi sent there and leaving the other severely wounded. Thus began Grievous's hunt and the Jedi's losses. Many of the Jedi who faced grievous either died or barely escaped with their lives, and the few times the cyborg did find himself in a situation he might lose he ran. All in all, these altercations left the Jedi council with the difficult choice between pursuing the General or to pull back from the Seperatist worlds to ensure the safety of their own. This discussion sparked another controversy in the ranks of the Jedi Order and it remained ongoing as the number of Knights and padawans who perished by his blade slowly increased. 

Concurrently with this growing threat to the Order, Bail Organa worked with the Jedi Council behind the scenes, telling them all that went on with the Senate. The Masters spent long hours in meditation and investigation, but even with the Senator's help the council could not locate the elusive Sith lord.

As for Anakin Skywalker… He was simultaneously having the best and worst time of his life. He hated the war, there was no doubt about that. It drove him to the end of his rope every day as he tried to keep his men safe while relentlessly hunting for General Grievous, who was being seen less and less. On the rare occasions he had more than four hours of sleep, he found no true rest. Nightmares plagued him, showing him visions Padme in pain and dying, his men being tortured by the Separatists, and of the entire galaxy falling to pieces before his eyes. 

That was the bad part. The good part was that for the first time in his life, Anakin felt that he was living independently as his own man. When he had been freed form slavery all those years ago he had been thrust into a life of servitude as a Jedi. And while being part of the order was far from being a slave, there was always an element in his life of doing what was told and expected of him and keeping his powers contained. Only using his abilities in an exact way with a specific purpose that must not ever be questioned that was not that different from serving under Watto.

Then he became general, and for the first time he without restrictions for using his power, he was giving orders instead of taking them. He was finally free. 

Here in Anakin's newfound liberty was the kink in Sidious's plan. Skywalker was no longer desperate to be free of constant judgement and scrutiny under the Jedi and was exploring the depths of his power by himself on the battlefield. He was realizing the limitations in trying to use only the light side of the force and in doing so had no need for Palpatine to show him the "power of the dark." Anakin already knew, and he used it for the only thing he cared about, ending the bloodshed and destroying the Separatists. 

But despite all of Anakin's growing power and determination the war dragged on. And as Master Windu had feared, in Senate offices, seperatist command ships, and Outer Rim planets shrouded by the dark side of the force, the Sith were on the move.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the next stage

Sitting in his office at the dead of night, Sidious decided that it was time to move forward in the plan. The war had stagnated into a predictable pattern of attack, then retreat; win, then lose. While it had been good for the short months that it lasted, the time for waiting was over, Sywalker was ready. The dark was growing strong within him, Sidious could sense it, although he too had fallen into predictability when it came to the use of his powers. Anakin needed some encouragement, it seemed, to truly embrace the dark side. It was high time to set the stage for the next phase.

Sidious had been forced to make major adjustments to his scheme once the Jedi refused to participate in the war, but it was working beautifully so far. Still, there would have to be one small addition to his scheme to make his hold on the Republic completely secure, and that was to get rid of Bail Organa. Sidious had been tracking him for months, making sure to feed him with all the right information to tell the Jedi to make sure that Palpatine would not fall suspect. But the Jedi had sensed some of the lies, and they would soon figure out the pattern and trace it back to him if this partnership lasted much longer. So Organa had to go.

He called Tyrannus, scowling when his apprentice did not answer immediately. He did eventually, but the annoyance added an extra bite to Sidious's tone that he himself quite enjoyed.

"Lord Tyrannus."

"My Master." Tyrannus was distracted, clearly in the middle of some other matter, so the Sith waited until the man's eyes were fully on the holo before speaking.

"Eliminate Bail Organa, he is working far too closely with the Jedi as they try to find my presence here on Coruscant."

Tyrannus nodded, his eyes faraway. "I will have my assassin, Assaj Ventress, deal with him." 

The look in his apprentice's eyes made him suspicious, and the feeling of suspect echoed true in the force. The man was hiding something. "Why so distracted, Tyrannus?" Sidious asked. "Is there something you must inform me of?"

There was a moment of hesitation before he got his answer.

"There have been reports of Jedi sightings in multiple Seperatist-conquered systems."

Jedi sightings? On Seperatist worlds? Sidious had seen nothing of this in his visions, a fact that would have been concerning if the news had not been so utterly convenient. 

"Wonderful." He said aloud, just as if he had foreseen it from the beginning. "Has Grievous found any yet?"

"He has." Tyrannus answered shortly. "He has been able to kill several as well. Unfortunately, his search for Jedi blood has somewhat distracted him from his duties as general, and we have lost some planets in the outer rim to the Republic."

Sidious had already heard of these victories from the GAR, another unexpected turn of events that fit in perfectly with his master plan.

The Sith put on a face of frustration for show, he was supposed to be invested in the Seperatist movement after all. "I have instructed you to far too many times keep Grievous under control." He snarled. "Your failure to deliver begins to make me doubt your capability to lead."

The man lifted his chin, opening his mouth to defend himself but Sidious kept talking.

"But I will overlook it this time for Grievous's success. The next Jedi you stumble upon you will capture and then call upon the Republic for a ransom. in the meantime, interrogate them. Find out where the Jedi are keeping their ranks and destroy their shelters. There are still far too many of them in the galaxy."

Sidious cut the connection and Chancellor Palpatine sat down at his desk with a sigh. He had expected to have to find a way to frame the Jedi for treason, but it seemed they had made their own trap and sprung it. Yet again, the dark manipulated all events for his purposes. Even now he could feel the steady thrum of suffering and anger throughout the galaxy growing, filling him with power. It was almost time that the war between the Jedi and Sith would be over, and the dark would finally rule.

_ Soon.  _ The shadows whispered in his ears.  _ The end comes soon. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately school is starting in earnest for me, so updates will probably slow down. Sorry if there are any long waits between chapters but i promise I'm working on it.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late update, as most will be for a while. But here you go

Jedi masters felt the same anticipation in the force that the Sith felt, but instead of glee they felt a deep foreboding that they discussed for hours to no conclusion. They were all very much frustrated, the level of emotion in the council room bordering inappropriate for Jedi Masters

"It has been months." Adi Gallia ranted, "We have meditated, searched, and meditated more yet we have found nothing."

"Chosen to show us, the force has not. Patient, we must be."

Plo Koon heavily dropped his hands to the armrests of his chair. "Master Yoda, we are running out of time to be patient. Surely you can sense it." 

"Sense much i do." The grandmaster's ears fell slightly. "Undecided the future still is. All we can do, wait is."

"Then we must be active in our waiting," Master Mundi insisted. "and prepare for whatever is coming for us."

VArious versions of this diolouge had circled the council room for the past half-hour, but instead of the same "but what is coming?" that usually followed, Master Rancis spoke up, taking the conversation on a different turn

"Let us not forget what- who is already here. General Grievous."

The room fell into silence as they remembered the numerous jedi lives lost, and the force sang with a tinge of mournful regret.

"We must not take up arms against the separatists." Shaak Ti said quietly.

"He is killing Jedi!" Master Piell retorted, far more energetically than she. "It is our own we are fighting for, not the republic."

"The Senate will not see it as such." Master Windu intoned.

Mundi narrowed his eyes slightly at the Master of the Order. "We should have moved past what the senate thinks of our actions by now."

Mace frowned, then nodded, conceding his point.

"I agree." Master Kenobi stated. "Something must be done. The fact that twelve Jedi have been killed by this one being is unacceptable."

"Then what shall we do?" Master Billaba asked.

The council sat back, each member creating and discarding ideas, testing the better ones with the force to see how they felt. Finally, Master Koon opened his mouth.

"Temporarily recall all of the Jedi back to their stations, then send a group of capable warriors to catch his attention."

"Groups tend to be ineffective against him." Rancis responded almost immediately. 'They are too uncoordinated to keep up with his attacks."

"A Master-Padawan pair, then?"

Kenobi sighed. "All of those who have faced him have been killed."

Mace Windu sat forward in his seat. "I will go."

All of the council blinked. "Alone?" Mundi quired.

Windu spread his hands "You have said it yourself, pairs have been at a disadvantage."

There was really no reason to argue with that, but some of the council still felt slightly concerned, so they looked at Master Yoda, who was the only one who could convince Mace to deviate from a plan he had made.

The grandmaster tilted his head. "Correct Master Windu is. Trust him, we must."

The Korun stayed expressionless, surveying the room as they slowly lay aside their personal draw-backs with the plan and nodded their consent.

With that settled, Master Ti glanced at her chair for the time, then spoke. 

"I suggest that we close for the time being, the first two clans of initiates are leaving for Ach-to in two hours."

The rest of the council gladly agreed, so they soon stood and began filtering out of the room. Master Kenobi was one of the last to leave, but before he could step foot outside the chamber the voice of Yoda made him halt. 

"Obi-Wan."

The man turned. "Yes, Master?"

"Time, you have?"

"Yes, Master." He said again. And even if he hadn't, the response would have been the same. One did not simply say "no" to Master Yoda.

"Accompany me to my quarters, will you? Much to discuss with you, we have

By "we" Obi-wan presumed Yoda meant himself and Master Windu. But he got an odd feeling about the request that spurred him to ask, " What, exactly, do these matters involve?"

"Many things." The grandmaster hummed, already moving out of the chamber. "Including you, and your Padawan."


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (to the tune of the State Farm catchphrase) 'Like a good neighbor the Jedi are there!'

Obi-Wan followed the grandmaster down the halls to the small meditation room he used for small meetings where Master Windu was waiting for them, regarding them silently as they entered and sat. Once it became clear that none of the senior masters would speak Kenobi took it upon himself to begin the conversation.

"Master Yoda?"

The Grandmaster closed his eyes as he spoke. "A warning, the force has given me. in danger, Senator Organa will be."

Kenobi glanced at Master Windu, who looked back at him steadily. He must have already heard of this, then. "How soon?" 

The only part of Yoda that moved was his lips, the rest of him sat eerily still on the meditation stool. "Soon."

The other Master still said nothing, waiting. Obi-Wan felt that he was playing a game of 'guess the unknown' as he tried to piece together the plan that had so obviously been formulated. 

"Then at the very least, we should notify him so he can alert his security team. Master, do you believe Organa's security can handle this threat?"

"Perhaps." Yoda croaked. "Or perhaps not."

The young master was getting annoyed with the obscure answers, but he took care not to let his frustration leak into his tone. "To send a knight or master would cause much controversy for the senator."

"Indeed." Windu finally stepped in to the conversation. "Your padawan could very easily slip in as one of his interns."

Now Obi-Wan caught on. "She could." He replied neutrally. "But she is also rather young to be assigned such a mission."

"There are not many Padawans left in the temple who are unrecognizable to the media." The Master of the Order explained his reasoning. "But the ultimate decision does lie with you. You only have been training her for a short time, do you believe she is ready to deal with a situation as this alone?"

Master Kenobi took a moment to think. He had only been Ashoka's master for a matter of weeks, and in that time they had only been on one mission together. Granted, that mission almost ended with them both being killed by pirates, and she had been able to hold her own then.

"Ashoka is extremely proficient in saber work and has handled herself well in all the situations I have seen her in so far." He said at last. "I do believe she can handle this short assignment. I will be close by if she needs backup."

Yoda finally cracked open his eyes. "Certain on this, you are? Even if by herself, she is?"

"I am, Master." Obi-Wan sensed that there was more to this question than the hypothetical. "But I see no reason why I would not be available to come to her assistance."

Master Windu folded his hands in front of him, leveling the younger Master with an even stare. "The next time we hear the whereabouts of Count Dooku, go."

Obi-Wan frowned. This assignment was not one the entire council had agreed on, he was certain of that. "Master Windu, are you sure-"

"Yes. Master Yoda and I have talked it over, and we agree that we trust your judgment on this matter."

Kenobi looked at Yoda, who was patiently waiting with that look of his. "Your trust will not be misplaced." He said after a moment. Both of the Older Jedi seemed to relax, but Obi-Wan was not going to let the discussion end that quickly.

"There will be someone standing by for my padawan, if I am unable to?" He asked, although he made it clear that this was an expectation, not a request. 

Windu nodded, and the younger Master let out a quiet sigh of acknowledgement. That would certainly be a weight off of his shoulders, if it came to that situation. The Masters fell into silence. Kenobi had nothing more to say, and neither did Mace or Yoda apparently, so he stood. 

"If you would excuse me, Masters, I do believe I have a Padawan to prepare."

Yoda chuckled, his eyes shining with amusement. "Yes, prepare your Padawan you must. Go, Master Kenobi."

Obi-wan bowed and took his leave, consulting the force as he walked down the hallways to where he sensed his padawan, in one of the gardens with the few other Padawans who were not stationed about the galaxy. The force showed him the usual possible dangers, risks, and chances of success, nothing ground-shattering or highly influential. There was good and bad in that, he supposed. If something went wrong, it wouldn't be the end of the universe. But that also meant that there was a greater scheme that Ashoka would not be touching whether she succeeded or failed in saving Senator Organa's life. 

A good mission for someone so young, he supposed, and a speculation to meditate on at a later time. 

All in all, Master Kenobi had a good feeling about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave any suggestions you have! I do have the next chapter written but after that I am beginning to run out of inspiration so anything would be much appreciated.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not to be dramatic or anything but I love Bail Organa as a character.

"Another day, another sunrise," Bail Organa hummed to himself as he walked to his office. And indeed the sun was just rising over the city-scape of the Senate district. Normally he would not have come to his office so early, but there was a Senate meeting this morning, one he would have been preparing for right now if not for the call he had received from Master Yoda last night asking if they could meet as soon as possible to discuss and urgent matter. Bail didn't know what specifically this matter was, but if Master Yoda said that it was pressing then it must be so. 

Said Jedi master was waiting for him when he stepped into the meeting room of his office, with him was Obi-Wan Kenobi and a girl who barely looked thirteen. That must be an apprentice, or... what did they call it? A Padawan.

"Good morning, Master Jedi." The senator said brightly. 

"A good morning to you, Senator Organa." Master Yoda returned, and the two younger jedi bowed their greetings.

"What brings you to my office so early?" He asked almost immediately after sitting down in his chair. He knew by now that Jedi did not generally appreciate unnecessary formalities, so he got straight to the point.

"Two things." The small master responded, then his voice lost some of its energy and his ears drooped slightly. "First, insight the force has given me. In danger, your life will be."

"In danger?" Organa repeated. "You mean like an assasination attempt?" He did not feel shocked right away, death threats were a normal part of any high government official's life. But then again, it was Master Yoda who had delivered the warning…

"Yes. Know specifically how or when it will happen, I do not. But soon, I sense. Feel the hands of the dark in this, I do."

Bail tipped his head back slightly and gave himself a moment to think. He was pretty sure that by "hands of the dark" Yoda meant the Sith, which led him to believe Count Dooku played a role in this. It was not surprising it would be a Seperatist scheme. But why him in particular? There were many senators much more valuable to the war effort than he. Or were the Jedi informing him only because he was one of the few senators who trusted them enough to believe them? Well either way, It was not his place to pry into the Jedi's reasoning.

"That's… concerning." He said aloud. "I will inform my security team immediately." 

"Believe that the Sith are involved in this, we do." Master Yoda confirmed Organa's thought. "Which is why we request that a jedi travel with you until this threat is over." 

A jedi guard? That was certainly not what he had expected to suggested.

"I see no reason why my security could not handle an assasination attempt."

The eldeerly Jedi narrowed his eyes."Misunderstand me, you do. A Dark-sider will be sent, I feel. Be able to handle a force sensitive, your team is not."

Bail couldn't argue with that, but he still had some reservations he needed to make known. "I'm not sure that would be the wisest action, politically speaking." He began. "For the Senate to assume that the Jedi will defend one senator, but not the entire Republic, would be catastrophic for us both." 

"Which is why," Master Kenobi cut in smoothly. "I introduce to you my Padawan, Ashoka Tano. With your permission, she will accompany you to whatever affairs you must attend to under the guise of an intern or a shadow of some sort."

Bail tilted his head at the young togruta, who had bowed in the customary jedi fashion. The Jedi had thoroughly thought this through, it appeared. He must be more important to them than he had first assumed. 

"I mean no offense by asking." The senator said. "But if this threat is as powerful as you believe it is, would a student really be the best choice for the task?"

"Oh, she will not be alone." Kenobi responded immediately. "She is only at the forefront to be the "last line of defence," if you will. Either myself or another master will be close by to either stop the threat before it gets to you or to step in if help is needed."

The Jedi looked at him expectantly, and Bail sat back in his chair, visibly giving himself space to think. It was clear that he was intended to say "yes," and there was really no reason not to. They had covered all the bases he had asked for, and it was probably the safest option presuming that Master Yoda's sense was correct (while he did not know much about the grandmaster, Bail felt that it was safe to assume he was.) The consequences of being found working with the Jedi at such a time could be great, but then again, so would his death. In the end it was an even tradeoff.

"Very well." He said at last. "If that is what you think is best, I will trust you."

Yoda nodded in approval and Master Kenobi bowed slightly. 

"Your trust will not be misplaced." The bearded Jedi intoned. "Whenever you are ready Ashoka will join you."

"How about you come back in an hour." Organa suggested, standing from his seat. "In the meantime, I will inform my head of security of the recent… developments and talk to my chief of staff. We do have a senate meeting today, Padawan Tano." He addressed the teen. "So be prepared for a whole lot of political nonsense."

Tano looked slightly startled at his light-heartedness, but she recovered quickly. "I will, Senator." She replied seriously, and the two humans shared a chuckle. 

"And thank you for the warning, Master Yoda." Bail said more solemnly. "It, and your services, are much appreciated."

"I do as the force wills." The grandmaster responded cryptically. The senator did not know exactly what to say to that, so he nodded, said his "good day's," and took his leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a hypothetical question, (for the time being,) but: If you could kill one of the "good guys" in this story, who would it be and why?


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not fully satisfied with this chapter, but I felt bad for not updating next week so... Here you are.

Ashoka Tano decided one hour and five minutes into her first Senate meeting that, like her master, she did not like politics. It was loud, it was messy, and there was something about the senate chamber made her feel like she was being smothered. Not to mention the fact that Chancellor Palpatine had just brought up some things about the Jedi that he definitely should  _ not _ have known about.

"I find it appalling." The chancellor was saying. "That the Jedi would be, even briefly, taking up residence on Seperatist controlled worlds when they insist that they side with the Republic. They are not trying to aid our efforts to end this war in any way, which begs the question: What are they doing? What agenda are they following? And it seems, my friends, that it is not ours."

Ashoka ground her teeth together in frustration. That was the most absurd argument she had ever heard. The fact that he had this information aside, he had based his words entirely on speculation and left his statements open-ended. In the end, all he did was heavily imply that the Jedi were siding with the Separatists. In the force, the room turned from stifling to overbearing, making her feel like she was drowning. She tried to center herself like Master Kenobi had showed her, but the feeling, along with the buzz of senators talking to and over each other made it hard to focus. She heard beings calling the Jedi "liars," "tricksters," even "traitors" and clenched her fists. These people didn't know anything about what was actually going on! If they did they would never listen to such bias! 

Eventually, Mas Ammedda called for silence, and the room quickly quieted to listen. 

"In light of this knowledge," The chancellor placed his hands assuredly on the platform. "I propose a vote. I, as well as the War counsel, agree that if there is one thing we do not need it is to be caught by surprise here, in the center of the Republic. Therefore the vote will be on the decision to take proactive action to ensure the safety of our government."

The room burst into applause, and Ashoka herself had a physical reaction to the absolute unjustness of Palpatine's words. 

"That's unfair!" She cried before she could stop herself. "The Jedi haven't done anything against the law!"

"Fraternizing with the enemy." One of Senator Organa's aides next to her, Petir Rosin, responded, jotting down something on his datapad. 

"But- They have no proof." The teen stuttered, frantically trying to get back in her "aspiring politician" guise. 

"Sometimes you don't need proof." Rosin said dully. "Especially in war-time, it's better to act first." 

"Indeed it is." The other aide agreed. "Although the term 'proactive action' has a broad range of opportunity."

"That's what I'm concerned about." Senator Organa said from where he stood. "So let's find out." He pressed a few buttons on his console, and once he had been given permission to speak the projector droids swarmed towards their pod, carrying his voice and translating his words so that all of the Senators could hear. 

"When you say "Provacative action" what do you mean?" He asked, and even to Ashoka his tone and inflection sounded completely neutral.

"Nothing extreme, of course." Chancellor Palpatine answered comfortably. "We will keep a watch on their actions, and if they do seem to be a threat in any way we will carry on from there."

The response clarified nothing, but to Ashoka's surprise Senator Organa didn't press. He simply nodded. "Thank you, that is all."

Now the padawan was plain confused, but before she had too much time to think about it the Senator had turned around and was speaking quickly but quietly. 

"Timee, get me laws and regulations about government interference with private organazations. Rosin, update The Record and ask Senator Amidala if she would like to meet during the recess."

"Already on it, sir." The Alderaanian bent his head over his datapad, tapping furiously while pulling another one from under his chair. Organa then turned to Ashoka and gestured her to come stand by him. She did, and he made a vague gesture to his console screen. "The senate gives about twenty minutes on average to take a vote. " He said, as if explaining to a child. Then he lowered his voice so only she could hear. "Is he telling the truth?"

The teen hesitated, going through all of her master's instructions in her head.  _ Don't mention their search for a sith on coruscant, don't mention the cyborg killing them, and if you feel a source darkness in the senate contact me immediately...  _ None of them included keeping the explicit nature of the Jedi's missions a secret. 

"We help the citizens." She whispered back. "They are being exploited. We never have any contact with the Separatists if we can help it, and we never fight them."

The man hummed, his brow creased in thought before he straightened his shoulders. "And since we only have nineteen of those minutes left," he said in his normal tone. "I shall discuss with my advisors. Feel free to listen and take notes."

Ashoka shuffled back to her seat and pulled out her own datapad to pretend to be taking notes while quickly tapping a message into her comm.  _ All clear here.  _

It took only a few seconds for Master Kenobi to respond,  _ Good. But stay alert, senses can be particularly elusive in the Senate building. _

With his warning, Ashoka realised that she had been subconsciously pulling back from the force and thrust her senses outwards again. Immediately, the metaphysical equivalent of static filled her mind, making her shift uncomfortably. "Particularly elusive" was an understatement, it was like trying to see through fog.

Despite the difficulty she followed her master's orders the best she could, stretching out her senses until Rosin leaned over to her and told her to "Pay attention, the votes are in."

And indeed, the chancellor and vice chancellor had stood and Mas Amedda took the lead. "The final vote," He announced. "Is ninety-nine point six percent in favor, four percent abstain."

Ashoka had been expecting the motion to pass, but the overwhelming majority of senators who did not trust the Jedi made something in her chest sink. While the other occupants of Senator Organa's pod exchanged tired looks, the teen sent another message to Master Kenobi. 

_ Senate just voted almost unanimously to investigate and possibly take proactive action against Jedi "if needed."  _

She pressed the send button and looked around at the Senate chamber. Everywhere she looked, the beings looked pleased with their decision. It was almost erie how united the Senate was on this matter, quite unlike anything else she had heard discussed that meeting. Strange, and the observation made a chill of warning run up her spine. Something wasn't quite right about this whole situation.

_ There's an intergalactic war going on.  _ Ashoka told herself bitterly, trying to justify her feelings.  _ Of course things feel off. _

The thought might have sated her trepidation, but her comm blinked with a reply from her master that immediately raised her stress level

_ Thank you for the information. Be on your guard, the senate will not react kindly if they discover your identity. _

That was true, but the statement still seemed so absurd. Just a year ago the Jedi were working side by side with the senate and one of its most trusted allies. The fact that the relationship had deteriorated so quickly made her think that there was something bigger going on…

The more she thought about it, the more the circumstances confirmed the sneaking suspicion that was growing in her mind. There was something going on behind the scenes, and while she didn't know what it was, Ashoka didn't like it at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think the chancellor will be swift in "taking care" of the Jedi, or do you think he'll take his own sweet time?

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment! Any feedback really helps me keep this story going!


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